A production assistant, usually called a PA, is the entry-level crew member who handles whatever the production needs that is not covered by a department. On a corporate shoot that can mean meeting the crew at the loading dock, getting badges from building security, walking an interviewee from the lobby to makeup, holding the hallway quiet during a take, and picking up lunch for twelve people, all before 1 p.m.
None of that work is glamorous. Most of it is invisible when it goes right. When nobody is assigned to it, it lands on the producer, the director, or the camera operator, who were supposed to be doing something else.
This guide covers what a production assistant does, when a shoot needs one, and how to set one up. It is for producers, marketing teams, and first-time clients, and for anyone thinking about starting a crew career as a PA.
What a production assistant actually does
The job changes with the size of the production, but the work tends to fall into a few buckets.
Moving people. PAs meet talent, interviewees, and clients, get them where they need to be, and keep track of who is waiting. On a day with six interviews, someone has to know that the third person is parked, in the lobby, and needs ten minutes in makeup before the crew is ready for them.
Moving things. Load-in and load-out, carrying cases, staging gear where the department asks for it, making supply runs, and returning anything borrowed from the building. PAs help departments with gear. They do not set up lights, rig grip equipment, or handle camera unless the department head asks and shows them how.
Lockups. A lockup is holding an area during a take so nobody walks through the shot or makes noise. In an office, that can mean standing at the end of a hallway and asking people to wait for a minute. In a public space, it means politely stopping foot traffic without blocking anyone who has a right to be there. The sound department will thank you for every closed door. Our guide on what a production sound mixer does explains why.
Paperwork. Sign-in sheets, release forms, location agreements, receipts, and petty cash logs. A PA who gets every interviewee’s release signed before they sit down saves a messy follow-up later. Our article on handling video release forms covers that process.
Crafty and meals. Setting up and keeping up craft services, ordering or picking up lunch, and making sure dietary needs from the call sheet are actually covered.
Communication. Carrying a walkie, relaying calls from the first AD or producer, and letting departments know when talent is on the way. On smaller shoots without walkies, this happens over a group text, which works until someone’s phone dies.
Wrap. Trash, recycling, putting furniture back where it was, checking rooms for anything left behind. Location photos taken at load-in make this part faster.
Kinds of PAs
Bigger productions split PAs by where they work. Titles vary by production and region, but you will often hear:
- Set PA. Works on set, under the first assistant director when there is one. Lockups, relaying calls, moving people.
- Office PA. Works out of the production office. Runs, copies, deliveries, phones, receiving packages.
- Department PA. Assigned to a single department such as art, wardrobe, or locations, and takes direction from that department head.
Most corporate and marketing shoots do not need that split. One or two PAs usually cover everything, reporting to the producer or the production coordinator.
When your shoot needs a PA
A PA is an easy role to cut from a lean budget. Sometimes that is the right call. A single interview in one conference room with a two-person crew can run fine without one, as long as the producer accepts that they are also the runner, the greeter, and the person carrying cases.
The math changes when the shoot has any of these:
- More than one location, or a company move in the middle of the day
- Several interviewees or talent with tight call times
- A client or executive team on set who need looking after
- Public spaces, open offices, or lobbies that need lockups
- Heavy load-in, long walks from parking, or freight elevator scheduling
- Food, supplies, or gear that has to be picked up during the day
A useful test is to look at the call sheet and ask who is assigned to each job that is not filming. If the answer for several of them is “whoever is free,” that is the job description for a PA. Our shoot day timeline shows where those tasks usually fall in the day.
There is a tradeoff on cost. Adding a PA is another day rate, another meal, and another person to park. Leaving them off can mean the camera operator walks interviewees to the set while the shot sits unlit, which costs time on every setup. Neither answer is right for every shoot. Our article on what a video production crew costs covers how crew size shows up in a budget.
How to set a PA up to do the job well
A PA can only be as useful as the information they get. Before the day:
- Put them on the call sheet with their call time, who they report to, and their cell number
- Send them the location address, parking plan, and building contact
- Give them a list of known runs, with addresses and who pays
- Tell them about badges, security check-in, and freight elevator times
- Share the interviewee or talent list with arrival times
- Tell them what they should not touch
On the day, give them a walkie if the crew is using them, introduce them to the department heads, and tell them where to stand when nothing is happening. Experienced PAs find work on their own. Newer ones often wait to be told, so tell them.
One complication is worth planning for. If a PA will be driving for runs, check how your production’s insurance treats crew using their own vehicles before you hand them an errand list. Our guide to video production insurance is a starting point for that conversation with your broker.
What makes a good production assistant
The PAs who get called back usually share a few habits. They arrive before call time. They write things down instead of trusting memory. They answer the walkie quickly, and they say “copy” so the person calling knows the message landed. They ask before touching gear. When they have nothing to do, they ask the producer what is next instead of disappearing or pulling out their phone.
Local knowledge counts too. A PA who knows where the nearest hardware store, battery supplier, or decent lunch spot is will save time on runs, which is one reason to hire PAs from the city you are shooting in.
Starting a crew career as a PA
For many crew members, PA work was the first paid job on a set. It is a place to learn how departments work together, how a call sheet turns into a day, and who to ask for what. Some PAs move toward a department they get to know, such as camera, grip, or locations. Others move into the production office and toward coordinating or producing.
If you are applying for PA work, keep your resume short, list the productions you have worked on with your role on each, and include where you are based and whether you have a car. Our guide on building a video production resume goes into more detail, and the Production Help jobs board lists crew openings, including PA roles.
Before you lock the crew list
Look at your call sheet and find the jobs that do not have a name next to them: greeting, runs, lockups, releases, lunch. If more than a couple are blank, budget a PA or decide which department head is picking those jobs up, and tell them before the shoot instead of on the day.
If you need a PA in a specific city, the Production Help directory is a good place to start your search.